Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start the sprint race in the United States, round 19 of the Formula 1 season, at the top of the podium after setting the fastest time in qualifying on Friday.
Formula 1The championship leader will start ahead of Briton George Russell (Mercedes), 2nd , who lost first place to the Dutchman by just twelve thousandths.
Monaco’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen’s main rival in the general classification, Briton Lando Norris, will start in the second row of the sprint, which will start on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (Paris time).
The third row went to the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and the German Nico Hulkenberg, a surprising 6th at the wheel of his modest Haas.
Another performance was that of Franco Colapinto, who is competing with Williams in only his fourth GP in the elite – and the first sprint weekend of his career: the Argentinian will be 10th at the start of the sprint, ahead of the Japanese from Racing Bulls Yuki Tsunoda and far ahead of his teammate Alexander Albon, only 18th .
Oscar Piastri will only start 16th . The Australian from McLaren, 4th overall , saw the time of his last fast lap cancelled for having exceeded the limits of the track.
The French from Alpine, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, will be 12th and 17th respectively .
A little over 100 km long, swallowed up in about thirty minutes, the sprint race offers points in the championship: from eight points for the first to one point for the 8th . Not enough to worry Verstappen in absolute terms, he who currently has a 52-point lead over Norris (331 points against 279 points).
The United States GP is the third of six rounds this year to feature a sprint format, which changes the course of the weekend.
Thus, the drivers only have one free practice session on Friday before qualifying, which determines the grid for the sprint race held the following day. After this race, the drivers will compete in the “classic” qualifying, which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s GP.
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